EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. Food and cooking play a significant role in a healthy marriage as they provide opportunities for bounding, communication, and shared experiences. Preparing and enjoying meals together can strengthen the emotional connection between spouses. Culinary arts teaches you how to motivate people to eat healthy food, how to make it healthy, and what components to add to make it so. It is also important to learn the kind of spices to use with specific foods. Culinary arts and skill will also make the beneficiary a standout candidate for this role- marital or parental status and good managerial. Time has changed, and education and careers no more remain in the domain of men alone. With high cost of living, high inflation, economic instability and insufficient white collar jobs, it has become pertinent that skill acquisitions for entrepreneurships is a source to self-reliance and dignity, economic development and career building. It is evident today especially in the northern part of Nigeria that divorce is rampant. One major factor that causes divorce is lack or inadequate culinary education, home management and household management to cater for the matrimonial home. This challenges often led to disputes and sometimes divorce, leaving the woman isolated and powerless to affect change. Without opportunities, some women are more vulnerable to becoming disillusioned, which can lead to risky behavior or exploitation. To build a wealthy and healthy nation where educating a woman is as well as educating the nation, it becomes necessary to proffer solutions using GAFF, an organization establish to develop programs that will be used as a critical window, use in shaping positive norms and behavior that affect Nutritional education, promote awareness on Anorexia, Promoting Cultural Heritage and entrepreneurships skills for self- reliance. Gastronomy food forum was established since 2021, and has since its inception, has been organizing programs that educates the community especially within Dutse metropolis, Jigawa State. The forum has since been self-sponsored by financial contributions from team members, family and friends.

WHAT IS GASTRONOMY FOOD FORM (GAFF)

Gastronomy, is the art of selecting, preparing, serving and enjoying healthy food. The food forum convenes scientists, administrators, and policymakers from academia, government, industries, non-profits professional societies and consumer groups on an ongoing basis to issues related to food (including food safety, food regulation system nutrition and health) and identifying approaches to address them. GAFF is using food network to reflect the culture, heritage, traditions and sense of community of different people. It is a way of promoting understanding among different cultures, and bringing people and traditions closer together.

CHALLENGES

In view of the above mention, just like other new organizations, GAFF experienced challenges from initial stage and more gradually which will be overcome with time. Some of the challenges we are still facing are means of transportation and financial accessibility to broaden our programs and widen more structures within the 27 local government areas in Jigawa State and beyond. GAFF also need engagements from relevant ministries, national or international donor agencies/organizations whose agendas consolidates with our objectives. With these challenges, it becomes imperative to vigorously pursue most of our programs which are targeted towards entrepreneurship skills, culinary and nutrition education, home and household management knowledge which will go a long way to reduce high rate of poverty and starvation.

Achievements Since Inception:

• Held 44 meetings.
• Conducted food and nutrition education and awareness campaigns: Awareness campaign in Sakwaya ward under Dutse C.G.A for food and nutrition education.
• World Food Day tour to Baranda ward, Dutse L.G.A, focusing on malnutrition education
• Gastronomy tour to Dutse Model International Secondary School on Chef’s Day, featuring self-motivation lectures on entrepreneurship.
• World Food Day tour to Model Girls Secondary School, Kudai, for the "Pad the Girl" program, covering culinary education, food safety, and nutrition.
• Training tour to Jigawa State Polytechnic on entrepreneurship skills, nutrition, hygiene tips during menstruation, and online safety practices
• Training session at Al-Nima Academy, Dutse, on healthy eating habits for happy periods and avoiding cyberbullying
• Training tour at Golden Light School on culinary education, urban farming, healthy eating habits, and a brief lecture on cyberbullying.
• Training tour at GDSS Gadadin on Culinary education, principal of food safety and personal hygiene.
• National Pollution control day tour to Baranda ward, Dutse L.G.A, focusing on environmental pollution.

GAFF's Workshops:

1. Gastronomy Day
2. World Food Day
3. Chef’s Day
4. National Pollution Control Day
5. Environmental Sanitation Day
6. Tea Day
7. World Nutrition Day
8. Food safety Day
9. Agricultural Day
10. Cultural and Heritage Day
11. World Youth Day
12. Watermelon Day

Aims & Objectives

1. To provide culinary skills acquisition training programs, workshops, seminal, town hall meetings, to community; school girls/boys, out of school girls, marriage women, less privilege orphans and the disable, to foster creativity and innovation by encouraging them to experiment with ingredients, flavors and cooking techniques.
2. To dissect possible job opportunities within the scope of catering and hospitality management (catering, tourism and culture, restaurant owner, business managers, food brokers, product/menu developers, chef consult, etc) for career within the culinary world. This program will reduce un-employment and help the beneficiary gain financial freedom and self-reliance.
3. To provide nutrition education training/demo programs to mitigate against malnutrition, under nutrition and other diseases that might be caused due to insufficient food nutrients or poor dieting.
4. To use culinary art for operating a farm to the table’ (encouraging urban farming; using of the backyard, waste bags, waste buckets and rubbers to cultivate vegetables). A program aimed to improve food security.
5. To combat climate change by re-introducing alternative energy – affordable and available hand-made coal stoves and oven use for cooking and baking respectively. This products will improve micro-businesses in the rural areas as well.

THE VISION

Our ultimate vision is:

To promote culinary education for nutrition enhancement and healthy eating

To advocate awareness on cultural food diversification

To use culinary skills acquisition for entrepreneurship and to improve livelihood

THE MISSION

Our mission is to use GAFF to be a strategic tool to enhance better lives through healthy eating for wealthy nation.

OUR GOALS

Providing aspiring culinarians with professional skills in leadership, supervision and culinary preparation to obtain successful careers in the hospitality and entrepreneurship. It is important to gather youths to drive awareness, foster engagement to fight against hunger, harness the energy and creativity of younger generations to transform food and agriculture.

OUTCOMES

Cooking skills may help people to meet nutritional guidelines in their daily nutrition supply, create adaptability, cleanliness, teamwork, decision-making, kitchen management, food safety, detail-oriented, cooking techniques, recipe development and creativity. Preparing fresh food will put necessary nutrition into your diet and increase your energy and quality of health in short and long term.

TARGET

Our target is bringing together the youths especially girls, women, old age, people with disablity and the vulnerable ones through the universal language (food) to inspire hope and incite action, by providing culinary skills opportunities to end hunger, unemployment and enhance food security through urban farming.

Courtesy Visits:

GAFF has made courtesy visits to numerous places and organizations within Dutse L.G.A., including:

1. Honorable Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Hadiza Abdulwahad.
2. Senior Councilor, Dutse Emirate Council, Galadiman Dutse, Alh. Basiru Muhammad Sanusi.
3. District Head of Dutse, Alh. Jamilu Basiru Sanusi.
4. District Head of Sakwaya, Alh. Zaharaddeen Basiru Sanusi.
5. DG Invest Jigawa, Hajiya Furera Jumare.
6. Permanent Secretary of Commerce, Alh. Muhammad Bello.
7. ES Tourism.
8. ES Alternative Energy, Alh. Hassan Haladu.
9. Managing Director, Radio Jigawa.
10. Managing Director, Horizon Radio Nigeria.
11. Senior Social Adviser on Education Matters.
12. State Coordinator, Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON).
13. Dean, Faculty of Education, Federal University Dutse, Alh. Abubakar Sani Birnin Kudu.
14. Proprietor, Dutse International School, Malam Aminu Baba Waziri.
15. Managing Director, Freedom Radio Dutse.
16. State Coordinator, UNICEF Jigawa State.
17. State coordinator Fire service.
18. Sate coordinator National Directorate of Employment.

CLASSIFICATION OF ROLES AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES AFTER TRAINING

Level 1. Entry level careers

• Prep cook
• Pantry cook
• Line cook
• Banquet cook
• Caterer
• Food truck operator
• Sous chef
• Food blogger
• Server
• Baker
• Personal chef
• Entrepreneur

LEVEL 2. TECHNICAL CAREERS

LEVEL 3. PROFESSIONAL CAREERS

GAFF will continue to drive awareness of ambitious and urgent culinary skills and arts education designed to develop food security and women entrepreneurships more efficient, inclusive, resilient, affordable and sustainable. It is, therefore, important to teach children and teenagers how to cook and to encourage them to develop their cooking skills.